Being a network marketer can bring a range of emotions – excitement, anxiety and motivation. This is all normal. Even seasoned pros experience it sometimes. But amidst all that excitement, many of us also have that voice in our heads, the one that shares their doubts and concerns loudly. It’s the voice that tells you that you’re not good enough, you’re not ready to succeed, you’re going to fail, and you’re just not enough. You may want to silence that inner critic, but you’re unsure how. And, even though you know that the inner critic is wrong, it’s so easy to start believing it. BUT, you don’t have to listen. Luckily, the same doubts you have are those of other network marketers. In fact, even the most successful people have been in your shoes of self-doubt before. Learn the lessons that they’ve learned and conquer self-doubt for good.

Banish doubt #1: This is terrible timing/The timing is wrong

Why did you get into network marketing? Many get into it to escape a 9 to 5 job or to supplement their income from their ‘day’ job. Others are stay-at-home parents who want to supplement their family’s income. It’s normal to start out excited and highly motivated, but often the self-doubt begin to creep in. One of the biggest doubts is about timing. It’s normal to think it’s a bad time to start a business. Life is busy and starting a business takes time and patience. When you’re already busy working full-time or parenting full-time, it’s tough to add more into an already packed schedule. That critical voice chimes in that it’s a terrible time because you don’t have time.

Sometimes, the critic goes even further and says that now is a terrible time, but maybe sometime in the future you’ll have more time. It’ll say you’ll have time when you retire, or when the kids are out of diapers or out of the house. Then it will be the perfect time. The truth is… there’s no such thing as the perfect time. That means that any time is a good enough time to start, build, and grow a business. Don’t worry about the perfect time; instead, focus on building the foundation for your network marketing business. That means, get in touch with your current and potential customers, prospects, and distributors. Do your daily lead-generating activities that put you in contact with your network and the people in their networks. 

Use that awful voice of your inner critic as fuel to drive you. The only way to silence it is to focus on your business and work toward building it up. Keep self-doubt in check! Do your activities, follow up with your network, and focus on growth. You can do it! Show that critic that you can. 

Banish doubt #2: Lack of skills and experience

Another insecurity many network marketers have is their general lack of skills or experience. Even people with experience in sales may not feel secure in their ability to build a business. One of the biggest misconceptions is that you need a ton of experience or a degree to start a business. You don’t. Some of the most successful people built their experience as they grow their business. 

The most successful businesspeople didn’t have the skills and experiences you’d think you need to start a business. But, they got them really quick. They were motivated to build their skills and eager to learn more. We often learn more by doing than we do by reading about it in a classroom (although reading is an important part of your professional development when building a business). You don’t need any sort of special certification to start a network marketing business; you just have to start. 

Once you start, you can take stock of what you need to learn to improve the odds of building a business. Often these are soft skills, such as listening. Or, they could involve improving conversation skills so that you sound more natural. Review what you know and make a list of skills you’d like to improve or grow. Are these skills you can grow through practice or through training or courses? Who are your business icons and what can you learn more them? Think of a successful businessperson you admire and try to find out all you can about them. Often, you can learn what sets them apart and what drove their success so you can try to mimic it in your own way. No time to read? Listen to audiobooks or podcasts. You can listen to them anywhere – in the car, while you’re working out and more. 

Banish doubt #3: Who do you think you are?

How many successful people have suffered from imposter syndrome? More than you think. Imposter syndrome occurs when we don’t feel we’re worthy of success. We just think we’re not good enough. All the most successful people have felt it at some point in their lives. Many even feel it even after they’ve achieved their lofty goals. Why?

We often compare ourselves and our successes, or lack thereof, to other people’s. If they have reached success in record time (that we know of), we feel inadequate. We wonder, why not me? If their business is growing at a record pace, we may begin to feel envious of the other person, which can then lead to us feeling bad about ourselves. We begin to wonder what’s wrong with us, and that may lead to thoughts of quitting the business altogether. 

None of our fears or negative thoughts are based in reality. These thoughts are based in the fears and anxiety we feel instead of in the truth. And although we’d never let anyone talk to our loved ones the way that our critic speaks to us, we find it easy to believe the trash it tells us. That’s the power of self-doubt.

That’s where your Why is important to establish. When you’ve found your Why, you’re less likely to compare yourself to others because you don’t need to. Your Why helps you focus beyond yourself so that you can do the things you need to do to succeed without falling prey to the excuses that keep you from getting there. It drives you to focus on what matters and what will get you to achieving your Why and your goals to help you get there. 

If you don’t know your Why, take some time to narrow it down and then keep a reminder of it where you can see it daily. Once you’ve established it, commit to a system to help you get there. 

Teamzy can help you banish self-doubt and keep you on the path to success

We created Teamzy to do just that. Teamzy is more than a CRM – it’s an effective way to create a strong business built on your relationships. The more you strengthen and build your relationships with your current and potential customers, prospects, and distributors, the stronger the foundation of your business will be. Your relationships will be the biggest drivers of your business, both through the business they do with you and the people they connect you with. Silence your inner critic with the help of your biggest advocates. Teamzy is a powerful tool to have, whether you’re just launching your business or you’re an experienced professional. Visit Teamzy.com to learn more.